Happy New Year - it’s 2017 and our gift to you is a celebratory episode of Talk Travel Asia. Today we’ll revel in our very favorite things about Asia in a multitude of categories from how to get around to where to imbibe and a whole lot in between. We take on a variety of categories from best transport, to airports, best movies theaters and a whole lot in between. This is our Best of Asia from more than 33 collective years living and traveling in the region. Ring in the New Year by celebrating t...
Jan 02, 2017•37 min
A game cafe trend took off in Asia a few years back that included both board game cafes and beer pong tournaments, and it doesn’t seem to be dying down. Today, there are a wealth of opportunities to get your game on both in and out of bars across the region. In fact we recently organized and competed in the first Bangkok Bar Games Olympics. Today we are going to talk about a variety of places to play different games across Asia, everything from family fun to just get drunk.
Dec 01, 2016•28 min
There's a long and rich history of textile production across Southeast Asia both through history and across geography. While many are familiar with Thai silk they may not be familiar with some of the other textile traditions across the region. On this episode we chat with Chomwan Weeraworawit about the variety of unique textiles across the region and how you can experience them.
Nov 15, 2016•41 min
The only thing that stays the same is that things are constantly changing and that’s nowhere more true than in rapidly developing Asia. Scott & Trevor talk about how places change, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, but they always change. Often it’s your memory that’s not accurate too and the people you were with, mood you were in, etc, can impact how you remember a place. On this episode of Talk Travel Asia podcast, Trevor and Scott talk about how a number of places in Asia...
Nov 01, 2016•29 min
Vietnamese food is one of the world’s great cuisines. As the country has opened to tourism over the last couple decades, more and more travelers have gotten the opportunity to try the real thing in-country. At the same time Vietnamese restaurants have opened all over the world with more and more people becoming fans of this fantastically diverse and tasty fare. Heavy in its use of fresh vegetables, Vietnamese food can also be a healthy choice. Today we’ll discuss Vietnamese cuisine, its place in...
Oct 15, 2016•34 min
Some people that haven’t traveled much of Asia can be mistaken and think it’s very similar from country to country in the region. While some countries and their respective peoples have similarities, there are some nations that are completely unique. There’s Asia, SE Asia, then there’s Japan. No country in the continent is remotely like it. Steeped in history, rich traditions, deep culture, and turned slightly inward, few places in Asia dazzle like Japan does. A teeming population that’s preserve...
Oct 01, 2016•33 min
On May 31, 2015 we posted a special episode of Talk Travel Asia, ‘Traveling Nepal Post-Earthquake with Mads Mathiasen’, which was one of our more popular episodes. We are following that up, chatting again with Mads about how the country is fairing more than one-year post earthquakes. You'll be surprised to learn that it's still a great place to travel!
Sep 15, 2016•25 min
Now that he seems to have hung up his pen as a travel writer, Talk Travel Asia podcast co-host Trevor Ranges talks about his decade-long experience as a travel writer, discussing the highs and lows of living the freelance travel writing life. From writing pieces for magazines and websites around the world, to authoring for Fodor's and producing first editions of the National Geographic Thailand and National Geographic Cambodia guidebooks, Trevor's produced some pretty amazing stuff. So what's th...
Sep 01, 2016•37 min
On this episode of Talk Travel Asia podcast, we discuss the dangers and benefits of "voluntourism" (doing volunteer work while on holiday), discussing our firsthand experiences, particularly in Thailand and Cambodia, and then talking with James Sutherland of Friends-International, a Cambodia-based organization whose work with underprivileged communities, particularly children, we have long admired.
Aug 15, 2016•37 min
It’s been more than two years since our first episode went live on June 11, 2014 and we’re suddenly at our 50th episode of Talk Travel Asia podcast! It’s been a ton of fun thinking of topics to cover and share, and we hope you’ve enjoyed the ride as much as we have. To mark our 50th episode, we’re going to share 50 Things We Love About Traveling in Asia. The categories will be broad, responses at times surprising, and we guarantee there are a few things in here you’ll want to try. Thanks for lis...
Aug 01, 2016•30 min
When people hear ‘Hong Kong’ they naturally think of towering, futuristic skyscrapers not mountains suitable for hiking and mountain biking. But it turns out there are tons of fantastic trails on those mountains you see from the city and on this episode of Talk Travel Asia we chat with owner of CrossCountry Hong Kong, Steve Coward, and journalist Dave Stamboulis about hiking and mountain biking opportunities in Hong Kong.
Jul 15, 2016•34 min
Many parts of Southeast Asia are famous for snorkeling and SCUBA diving. There are few parts of the world with as many great areas to get your face and body under the water than over here in the tropics. Countries including the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, in particular, have world-class snorkeling and diving sites. If you’re thinking of getting your open water certification, want to get dives in, or love snorkeling, Southeast Asia is the place. Today we’ll chat about our favo...
Jul 05, 2016•32 min
Nepal is famous for having the world's highest peaks, the Himalayas, and most travelers know the country is a hotspot for trekking, and likely have such a trip on their bucket list. But Nepal and trekking is much more than just big mountains. This ‘small’ Himalayan nation on the map would actually be about the size of the US if flattened out - it’s huge! In just 230km the country rises from its southern border at 70m to 8,848m in the north. That’s some serious vertical gain! The country has pret...
Jun 16, 2016•33 min
The world is a big place, but air travel, opening borders, and less restrictive visa requirements have made it easier for travelers, in effect making the world a much smaller place. In December 2014 we shared some of the places in Asia we’d like to visit on ‘Dream Travel Destinations 1’. We’ve compiled a new list of destinations we’re keen to get to and are going to share them with you today. Dream big of new destinations in Asia with us!
Jun 01, 2016•26 min
Today we feature a real adventurer: someone pushing the envelope of creativity in travel and transportation, going above and beyond the beaten path. Many people take at least one trip per year, then spend the rest of the year dreaming about their next one. For some, this trip is a week or so in length, but there are a growing number individuals that are finding creative ways to make travel their full-time gig. These people roam the world experiencing places and activities, then blog about them, ...
May 15, 2016•40 min
Traveling by foot is perhaps the best way to see a new area. On this episode, we share our favorite day hikes in Asia. In recent months we’ve had guests on to talk about trekking in the Himalayas and we’ve told a few stories that involve trekking, including some great hikes in New Zealand. Literally traveling at ‘street level’, you meet people along the way, see key sites, can try local foods, and get some good exercise while exploring. On this episode we’ll share some of our favorite day hikes ...
May 01, 2016•36 min
‘Adventure Travel’ is a broad term. For some it can mean simply making their way around a developing country, while for others it may mean hurtling down Class-5 rapids in a kayak. That’s one thing that’s so great about travel - it means different things to different people and can be qualified in many different ways. On this episode we speak with three industry leaders in adventure tourism in Asia, John Roberts, Mei Zhang, and Willem Niemeijer, and hear where they think the industry is headed.
Apr 15, 2016•40 min
Where and how we travel has changed dramatically over the last couple decades. What’s changed at an even faster pace is the way we plan our trips and the tools we use. Just a few years ago travel guides were more or less the ‘Holy Grail’ of learning about where to go, how to get there, and most importantly, how to find a decent place to sleep. In just a few years we’ve started to ditch printed books for websites and increasingly turned to our mobile devices while on the road. Today we’ll look at...
Apr 01, 2016•40 min
Seoul-based journalist Geoffrey Cain enjoyed an 11-day excursion to North Korea - as a tourist, since journalists are generally restricted from visiting the reclusive nation - traveling by train from Pyongyang to the more remote cities of Chongjin, Wonsan, and Hamheung, and the provinces of North and South Hamkyung and Kangwon. Geoff discusses his trip with Scott Coates and Trevor Ranges on this week's episode of Talk Travel Asia podcast.
Mar 16, 2016•34 min
What makes travel so memorable? Many times it’s simply visiting a new land, a new culture, experiencing new foods and seeing exotic animals. Other times it’s because we’ve gotten outside of our comfort zone, testing ourselves with new challenges that we couldn’t experience back home. But a sure byproduct of traveling are the great stories we acquire along the way and the fun it is to share them with others. This is the third episode sharing some of our tantalizing travel tales, a series in which...
Feb 29, 2016•43 min
Scaling mountains is a pursuit that attracts some of the world’s most adventurous people. Attempting to climb the world’s tallest mountains within the Himalayas is an entirely other sport. On this episode, Scott and Trevor chat with Billi Bierling, a German who has spent much of her life living, working, and climbing in Nepal, among other Himalayan nations, about her passion for tackling some of the world’s tallest and toughest peaks, including Mount Everest, which she has successfully summited.
Feb 15, 2016•40 min
Roughly 200km south of Bangkok, Hua Hin is a different kind of beach destination. Favored by Thai Kings for more than a century, the area has never grown too much nor turned into a beach party destination. It’s traditionally a place where Thai families escape for the weekend, enjoy the beach together, have some seafood, and partake in wholesome fun. Essentially, the larger area is 20km or so of long, beautiful beaches, with condos dotted along the shore. In the last decade, many places have gone...
Feb 01, 2016•36 min
In a day and age of digital everything and seemingly every topic at our fingertips, it’s rare nowadays, compared to say 50 years ago, to meet a true ‘explorer’: a person who has ventured out into truly unique and remote lands, having cultural exchanges where outsiders have perhaps not, and bringing the tales home. Our guest today, Canadian Jeff Fuchs is just that - an explorer. In 2006/7 he trekked more than 5,000km over 7.5 months through some of the world’s most remote and challenging terrain ...
Jan 15, 2016•35 min
After being asked a ton of small questions over the years by new travelers to the region, today we’re taking a step back for this episode, to share some of the base-level knowledge we’ve acquired via our three decades of collective travel in the region. Some items will be obvious to some, others not so much so, but we’ve had some fun thinking of little ins’ and outs’ of traveling in the region that we think are worth sharing. From navigating red tape to railroads, we’re set to tackle getting in ...
Dec 01, 2015•40 min
Few areas in Bangkok are as colorful, multi-ethnic, busy, and diverse as the Nana area. Situated on Sukhumvit Road, roughly between Sois 1-15, almost everything can be found here within a few square kilometers. Traditional Thai massage: check; Arab food: check; cheesy souvenirs: check; go-go bars: check; you get the idea - there’s a little bit of everything and then some in this frenetic and fun district. On this episode we’ll dive into everything that is Bangkok’s Nana area and then some.
Nov 15, 2015•38 min
Laos is a sleepy country of 7-million people that many have heard about but know little beyond the name and perhaps a few key destinations. Some tourists are familiar with the charming riverside town of Luang Prabang in the country’s northwest and maybe the capital Vientiane but know of little else there. Sharing borders with Thailand, China, Vietnam, and Cambodia, this landlocked nation, run by a Marxist-communist government, has a lot going for it. Many say it’s like Thailand 30 years ago, is ...
Nov 02, 2015•30 min
Phnom Penh is a city mired in mystery. The name is exotic to some, unknown to many, carries a storied history, and in reality is a little of all of the above. At one time, in the 1960s, it was an up and coming SE Asian cosmopolitan center, then the unthinkable happened. The bloodthirsty Khmer Rouge regime took over the city in 1975 and emptied its 2 million residents out into the countryside in a matter of days. Suddenly Cambodia’s main center of commerce and knowledge was empty, a shell of its ...
Oct 15, 2015•43 min
Cycling has been gaining global popularity over the last few years and Bangkok is no exception. While the city is more famous for its teeming traffic and exotic temples, while a bit tricky at first, it’s truly a magnificent place to get out for a ride. On this episode, Scott and Trevor explore what the city has to offer atop two wheels, things to keep in mind when heading out, and why you should consider making a bike ride part of your trip here. We're joined by longtime expat and bike guru, Gre...
Oct 01, 2015•29 min
Bali is one of the world's most well known tropical tourist destinations. That said, it's a big, smallish island, with a wide range of different districts. Knowing where to go (beaches, mountains, artistic villages)can be a bit of a challenge. Luckily Talk Travel Asia co-host Trevor Ranges has spent a good deal of time living, and writing about the island for various publications. On this episode he helps makes sense of the island and offers a range of tips for visitors, helping you make the mos...
Sep 01, 2015•33 min
On Episode 30 of Talk Travel Asia podcast, Scott Coates and Trevor Ranges talk with longtime Cambodia resident and Lonely Planet author Nick Ray about Cambodia’s up and coming hotspots. Nick Ray knows as much about Cambodia as any foreigner, has traveled most of its far corners, and is going to share some of his favorite, not-so-well known spots that he recommends hitting before the word gets out --in the next Lonely Planet, perhaps!
Aug 16, 2015•31 min
